Government Operations committee  I took the easy road. Since I'm the third speaker, the others have said everything already. I really think what Mr. Boyer mentioned is important. It is, indeed, an essential public service. If we have to use subsidies, I say go ahead, but it isn't necessary. Canada Post is currently a profitable service.

Government Operations committee  I would just like to add that three former CEOs have already stated that creating a postal bank would be profitable for Canada Post, including Moya Green, who preceded Deepak Chopra, Mr. Warren and Mr. Ouellet.

Government Operations committee  The Canadian Union of Postal Workers never issued a 72-hour notice, except the last time. During the negotiations, which went on for nine months, we never issued a 72-hour notice, unlike Canada Post, which issued two lockout notices. This summer's uncertainty was created by Canada Post, which sent messages to major mail users indicating that there would probably be a strike.

Government Operations committee  The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has always been open to the idea of expanding services and of finding solutions that will make it possible to better serve Canadians. As Mr. Boyer said, if it had not been for the 2011 events and the change in accounting methods, Canada Post would have made a profit for 22 years in a row.

Government Operations committee  There was a study on financial services conducted by Canada Post. I strongly encourage you to request that study done between 2009 and 2013. Why is Canada Post hiding it? We don't know why, but you should really take a look. The unredacted passages of the study show that the addition of financial services would be a winning strategy across the board.

Government Operations committee  This morning, I was here for the presentations of some of the groups before the committee. Some were representing people with reduced mobility and seniors. One of the services we are proposing is support for seniors or people with reduced mobility. Since letter carriers go door to door, why not ask them to ring the doorbell whenever possible.

Government Operations committee  That's sort of the case. The turnover rate in pharmacies is significant. These are precarious jobs at minimum wage. Of course, people want better salaries. They want to earn more than the minimum wage. These people are trained on the run. They are not really familiar with Canada Post's products and services that are available to the public.

Government Operations committee  I will be very quick. I would submit to the committee that there is perhaps an appearance of a conflict of interest. Pierre Lanctôt, who works for Ernst & Young and is one of the partners, helped develop the content used by the task force. He was Canada Post's chief financial officer from 2003 to 2009.

Government Operations committee  We agree that the demand for the letter mail service is decreasing. I could answer with a question: why has Canada Post invested $2.5 billion in this service when it saw that the percentage of generated revenue was dropping significantly? Ask Canada Post that question.

Government Operations committee  Perhaps I can add something.

Government Operations committee  Since profits of $45 million have been recorded for the last two quarters, we don't see why action is urgently needed. Should we talk and find solutions for the next 15 or 20 years? Certainly. That's what we are actually doing right now. Let's backtrack. The mandate was reviewed in 2008.

Government Operations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. First, I would like to extend greetings to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. We must thank the Liberal government for holding a public review of Canada Post so that its future can be discussed and solutions can be found. Instead of useless cutting, deregulation, not to say privatization in disguise, as the task force report seems to favour, we think that it is high time to launch a 21st-century postal service that is prosperous and that meets the needs of Canadians.